Bitters
Orange bitters
Here is some results of my ongoing experiments on adaptation orange bitters recipe by Gary Regan well-known as Regan’s Orange Bitters #5. In the current recipe I used fresh zest.
This bitters’ flavour is strong, bitter and dry. The main tone in the bouquet here is the orange peel while Angostura orange bitters has milder taste profile with a hint of sweet orange juice.
Aromatic bitters (based on Hess’ House Bitters recipe)
This recipe is based on well-known Hess’ House Bitters by Robert Hess.
I’ve just slightly adapted it to my taste and excluded/substituted some components unavailable or hard to find in Russia.
This aromatic bitters has well-balanced flavour with sharp cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and pleasant ginger aftertaste.
My bitters has milder and warmer profile than Angostura aromatic bitters. I recommend to use it with dark rums in cocktails which call for spiced rum. Try it also in Old-fashioned, and you’ll be surprised, I’m sure.
Grapefruit bitters
This grapefruit bitters brings strong tart and dry taste. Its bitterness is quite mild, light and citrusy, not from herbs but from grapefruit peels only.
I’m not sure if my homemade grapefruit bitters can fully replace commercial grapefruit bitters. But definitely it will add some citrusy freshness and fine grapefruit bitterness to your cocktails’ aftertaste if you decide to use it.
Coffee bitters
Coffee bitters isn’t well-known cocktail ingredient. Meanwhile it can be used instead or along with Angostura aromatic bitters in several cocktails such as Old-fashioned, Manhattan. And of course, it will work in Black Russian and Brandy Alexander.
My coffee bitters brings spicy coffee taste with delicate freshness from orange zest. Bitter roasted coffee aftertaste combines perfectly with dry and bitter note of silverweed root and light warm spiciness of cardamom and anise.
Liqueurs
Ginger liqueur
To be precise, honey and ginger are the main components for this hand-crafted liqueur. The third ingredient is a lemon, and here we have a perfect flavour combination of sweet honey, sour lemon and spicy ginger. Despite all these components are of very strong taste, the combination looks well-balanced and smooth.
It’s my opinion that the liqueur has a good chance to be a cocktail component in demand.
Honey and ginger combines well with whisky, rum and gin so at least the liqueur can be used in versions of some classic cocktails such as Bee’s Knees.
Терновый ликер на джине (Sloe gin)
Терновый ликёр на джине (sloe gin) – это английский традиционный диджестив, распространённый в районах, где произрастает дикая разновидность тёрна.
Домашний sloe gin хорош прежде всего в чистом виде. Он умеренно сладок – меньше, чем коммерческие ликёры – и обладает приятным букетом, где есть и сливовая сладость, и миндальный привкус, и деликатная терпкость, и немного горчинки в конце.
Syrups
Green tea syrup
Green tea syrup could be nice addition to the simple drinks based on gin, Gimlet for example.
Or try it to reignite your passion to Dry Martini. Two dashes of green tea syrup are enough to make it a bit sweeter and very tasty.
Cinnamon syrup
The cinnamon syrup is not for classic cocktails. But it can be perfect tool for creating your own versions of well-known cocktails.
Warm wood flavor of cinnamon combines very well with whiskey as well as with full-bodied rum.
I successfully used it in some modern cocktails. In addition, this cinnamon syrup will be nice in your cup of tea or coffee.
Mulled orange syrup
Mulled orange syrup was made specially for the Andrew Jackson’s Inaugural Orange Punch. I attempted to increase its spiciness and flavour intendity so I doubled amount of orange zest and added more spices including cardamom and star anise.
So my mulled orange syrup has became rather spicy then citrusy. Certainly there is a sweet orange hint at the background but it is a bouquet of spices that dominates in the syrup’s taste.
Besides mentioned orange punch, the syrup would be nice addition to the Old-Fashioned (combined with a dash of orange bitters instead of regular sugar or simple syrup). Also it can add some depth and finesse to the unpretending Screwdriver.
Wine-based beverages
«Tea and spice» wine aperitif
Wine-based aperitif with strong flavour of spices, black tea and herbs.
Exotic notes of anise, cloves and tea in the taste, herbal and winy aftertaste. Nice neat at winter or in cocktails, in Americano instead of Campari, for example.
Vin d’Orange
Nice drink that successfully combines orange juice freshness, bitter taste of orange peels, species’ warm sweetness and subtle wine notes.
Delicious aperitif, it’s perfect served neat or on the rocks. Also Vin d’Orange works really well in cocktails being mixed with London dry gin.
Nonalcoholiс drinks
Ginger beer
This ginger beer is made under recipe by Paul Clark. It’s a quite burning at the tongue and should be diluted before consuming.
Sweetened and diluted with equal part of water, the ginger beer becomes good drink and nice mixer for cocktails.
Its strong ginger flavor combines with a natural dryness and warm spiciness.
Others
Orange jam
This orange jam has been cooked as an experiment. The result was sweet and tart jam with strong orange peels flavour. Then I tried it in Calabrese’s well-known creature called «Breakfast Martini» and decided that the orange jam is worth to be using in cocktails.
Its exotic taste brings nice combination of sweetness and bitterness as sweet orange pulp combines with tart and bitter zest in fresh oranges.
